Last, but not least: Ukiah's big 4th quarter tops Arcata

EUREKA -- If you're going to lead after any quarter, it's always best to be ahead after the final one.

Ukiah failed to outscore Arcata in any of the first three quarters, but the Wildcats ended up on the long end of the 68-61 final score in the third place game at the 36th annual Logger Classic Saturday at Jay Willard Gymnasium.

The loss dropped the Tigers' overall record to 7-2, while the Wildcats improved to 8-3.

"This was really a big win for us, against a very good team on a neutral court," said Ukiah head coach Bill Heath. "We shot better tonight, and they (my players) never quit."

And when it comes to shooting better, it's always helpful to go with the hot hand.

In this case, Paul Steliga.

Arcata led by seven points (51-44) starting the fourth quarter, but Steliga, Ukiah's 5-foot-9 guard, tossed in 16 points -- including a trio of 3-pointers -- in a final period that featured moments of wild back-and-forth action.

Steliga finished with a game-high 22 points and was selected to the all-tourney team, along with teammate Brian Sherwood.

"We kind of let this one slip away from us," said Arcata assistant coach Jason Hodges. "We were not mentally tough down the stretch. We expect our seniors to provide a little better leadership under duress."

With Hawken Ritter displaying long-range radar -- he connected for six 3-pointers -- Arcata seemed to be in charge for most of the game.

After Will Taylor's bucket with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Tigers held an 11-point advantage (51-40).

But Garcia connected on a trey to narrow the gap, and Sherwood contributed a free throw -- shooting for Stekter, who was injured and had to leave the game until midway through the fourth quarter -- in the waning seconds.

Sherwood opened the fourth with a pair of jumpers sandwiched around Tiger Latrell Wilson's alley-oop bucket.

That's when Steliga started heating up.

First he zeroed in a trey from the left wing, and then he followed with an old-school (bucket-and-one) three-point play that gave Ukiah the lead it would hold for the rest of the contest.

Ritter finished the game with 18 points and was named to the all-tourney team, while Taylor scored 19 points.